Chapter 262.
Chapter 262 – The Challenge
Kevin was full of joy as he pushed his unicycle down the road, followed by several other people from the same village who were either pushing carts or carrying flat burdens like Karen.
This group of people had come to Port Fulan to make a delivery, the big merchant Adela Senior had opened a buying station in Port Fulan, specializing in buying salt boiled in the traditional way.
Unlike other salt merchants who were so arrogant and disdainful of them just because they had a few dollars, this merchant called Adela could be said to be amiable, and they were very talkative with the salt people, saying “my friend”, which made Kevin and the others feel that the other party was really sincere in treating them as friends.
Surprisingly, he had never seen Master Adela selling the salt in the neighborhood, and according to the other party, it was to be transported to the far east.
But they didn’t care where they sold it, as long as they could exchange it for coins to support their families!
A group of people came to the door of the purchase station, but saw the entrance of the people in and out, seems to be in the carrying things, with a round belly, rich-looking Master Adela stood at the door directing the subordinates.
Kevin went up to greet them, “Master Adela, what do you want?”
The merchant Adela turned around, saw that it was Kevin, and hurriedly responded, “Oh, it’s Kevin! You’re …… making a delivery?”
“Yes, we’ve shipped all the salt from the village.”
However, a trace of guilt surfaced on Adela’s face as he glanced at the group behind Kevin before gently pulling Kevin aside.
He whispered, “To tell you the truth, O Kevin, I was about to send for you.”
“What’s so important?”
“Your business …… I …… I can’t do it anymore, I have to move out in the next few days.”
When he first heard these words, Kevin didn’t react, and it took a while before he said sharply, “What do you mean? Master Adela, what does it mean to not be able to do our business?”
Adela said with difficulty, “Alas, it is not because of this recent war? The trade routes to the east are all cut off. I have no access in the other direction.”
“War? This damn war!”
Kevin scuttled his fists hard and tight, trying to punch out but unable to find a target.
Adela’s face was filled with sympathy, “Alas, it’s not easy for you guys to come all the way here, come to my store first and rest. Seeing that we have worked together for so long, let me treat you to a meal, please invite all your companions to come in.”
“Thank you, Master Adela.”
Kevin thanked breathlessly, his belly was indeed famished.
He returned to his companions and told them about Adela’s departure from Port Fullan, and the crowd exploded at once.
“What? Master Adela is leaving this way? What will we do then?”
“My family is still waiting for money urgently?”
“Alas, let’s fill our stomachs here first and then think of something.”
……
At the dinner table, all the people did not speak, just eating in silence, the atmosphere was unusually dull.
Adela smiled bitterly and said to them, “There is no hurdle that can’t be overcome, when this war is over and the trade routes are restored, I will come back again. At that time, I will have to rely on all of you for supplies.”
Kevin and the others could only laugh bitterly when they heard this, God knows when this damn war will be over, the lords don’t care about the pain of them, the lower class people.
“Come man! Bring that barrel of wine from the kitchen. Let’s drink a few cups today, I’ve been treating you guys as friends for these days, it’s kinda hard to leave just like that.”
With a wave of his hand, Adela instructed the man in the store to get the wine.
Kevin stood up to stop it, “Master Adela, how can this be a good thing. It’s already a great favor for you to entertain us for dinner.” Adela stared at him, “Are you not giving me face? Sit down!”
Kevin had to sit down.
The kegs were quickly brought up to the table and a large glass was served in front of each man’s eyes.
Adela raised her glass first and exclaimed, “Cheers!”
Kevin stared at the wine in front of him with a very mixed feeling, “Ugh~ They say it’s the getting drunk that makes you forget your troubles, drink up ……”
He picked up his cup and brought it to his mouth, the other companions saw his action and also picked up their cups.
“Shit! This wine is too strong!”
Kevin drank it all in one gulp, the pungent flavor irritated him so much that he cringed tightly and almost choked it out, he had never had such a strong drink before.
But after swallowing it into his stomach, a burning sensation that he had never felt before rose from his belly and quickly spread throughout his body, creating a strange feeling in his brain.
The other companions also had a wide range of expressions, some of them sticking out their tongues and exhaling as they were spiced up.
Adela smiled slightly, “You all haven’t had this kind of bar before. Here, have another!”
……
After a few consecutive glasses of wine, the crowd was getting a bit tipsy.
Adela put her arm on Kevin’s shoulder, her face red, and sprayed her mouth full of alcohol and said, “O little brother Kevin! Actually, it’s not all because of the war that I left here. I am also …… alas, not to say, drink!”
The other party seemed to have something difficult to say, so Kevin tried to stay sober and asked, “Master Adela, what other reasons are there? You don’t need to hide anything in front of us.”
Adela let out a long sigh, “Alas, those salt farm owners in Port Fulan, and the officials here, they …… burp …… they can’t tolerate me!”
“Cannot tolerate you? Why?”
Adela said drunkenly, “I’m on their turf, the demand is quite high, but I’ve never imported from them, which offends them hard …… In fact, I didn’t mean to do so, it’s really that my target customers only favor salt cooked by traditional methods ah. ”
Kevin angrily slammed the table, “Aren’t they going to give us a way out? We’ve been cooking salt for generations, who are we going to sell our salt to if we drive you away?”
An imperceptible light flickered in Adela’s eyes, and he said with a long sigh, “People nowadays, they have all fallen into the money hole, you are competitors in their eyes, and they can’t wait for you to die of starvation sooner or later. Let me tell you, recently the market in the dark rumor boiled salt is poisonous, will God unknowingly erode the human body’s health, eighty percent is what they put out.”
“That’s really assholeish! Before the emergence of salt farms, didn’t they also eat our salt for generations, and never heard of eating salt and eating people to death for hundreds of years.”
One of Kevin’s companions yelled angrily.
Adela shook her head with a helpless look, “Rumors are the worst, ah, after saying it to so many people, you can’t help but not believe it.”
“Alas! There’s no place to sell the salt, and in two days we’ll have to pay the tax again!”
“Those salt farm owners with fat brains are really hateful!”
Under the effect of the wine, all the people had more words to say, and you and I complained about the injustice of the world.
Only Kevin silently drank his own wine, one glass after another into his stomach.
(End of chapter)